


The Paris Rules

by katdvs



Category: Girl Meets World
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 11:23:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6372796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katdvs/pseuds/katdvs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Riley thought going to Paris would mean she could escape a summer with Lucas, but fate has another plan and they have to accept the rules they create to make it through the next six weeks together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Paris Rules

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this to fulfill a request I got for Rucas in Paris. You never know where a prompt will lead you. I had no idea it would lead to this.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Maya watched her best friend packing her large suitcase for a summer abroad in Paris, well six weeks. “Don’t you want to see him this summer, talk to him; figure out whatever it is that’s lost between you two?”  
Rile stopped what she was doing and went to sit next to her friend on the bay window seat, “Whatever it is that’s lost between us, still exist Maya. It hasn’t changed, if anything Lucas and I have both changed. I don’t know if I can ever talk to Lucas again, Maya I don’t think I can be in the same city as he is this summer. Maybe he doesn’t come back, maybe he stays in Texas, but I can’t be here. Besides this is a dream come true. I can’t give up a summer in Paris.”  
“What happened between the two of you? What made it that you would want to escape to a whole other country rather than talk to him?” Maya had avoided asking this question ever since they graduated high school the year before, ever since Riley returned from the ceremony she and Lucas had been apart. It was like they were enemies now, but it never made sense since Riley wouldn’t tell her why and she couldn’t think of a reason for it.  
Riley looked out the window, trying not to think about all those nights Lucas had snuck in during their time together, the nights he would just hold her as they fell asleep, all the mornings he would sneak out before returning an hour later to walk her to school. “It doesn’t matter Maya, that’s between myself and Lucas. What I can tell you is that tomorrow I leave for Paris, and I have a million things to do before then, but I want to see you, Farkle and Zay before I leave.”  
“You will, in fact if you come with me to the bakery right now you can see us all, say goodbye and then panic over whatever silly thing you think you’ll need for the next six weeks.” Maya sighed, realizing just how long she would be apart from her friend.  
Riley looked over at her bed, if she was honest she didn’t have that much left to do. She’d already checked into her flight on her phone, she had everything packed except for a few toiletries. “Okay, let’s got.”  
“Great!” Maya was already halfway out the window.  
“One day I think we’re going to be too old for this.” Riley laughed as she climbed out behind her friend before following her down the fire escape.  
Farkle and Zay were arguing over something when the girls came in but quickly stopped when Zay smiled at Riley, “Hey, there’s our world traveler.”  
“Hey guys, I’m glad you’re here.” She hugged each of them tightly.  
“Riles, you’re only going to be gone for six weeks. We’ve all been apart longer than that with school this year.” Farkle reminded her.  
She sighed as she sat between the two boys, “That might be, but the summer was going to be our time together, but I’m leaving.”  
“You don’t have to go.” Maya reminded her.  
“But I still want to. You guys have adventures here I’ll have mine in Paris.” A smile came over her face, “Maybe I’ll fall in love with some incredibly sexy man, he’ll kiss me with the Eiffel tower behind us, explore the louvre, spend a Saturday afternoon drinking coffee at an outdoor café, visit Versailles.”  
“Riley . . .” Zay looked to Farkle who shook his head no.  
“What Zay?”  
“What about Lucas, didn’t you used to dream of doing all of that with him?”  
Riley tensed, why couldn’t her friends let this go? “What about him, he’s gone, he’s in Texas.” She stood up from the couch as she turned around he walked right through the door, “Or he’s right here in New York City where I will not be spending my summer.”  
“Riley . . .” His voice was hopeful when he saw her, but as soon as he saw her tense up he knew he was out of luck.  
She looked at her friends, “Guys, I’ll email you from Washington DC.”  
“You will?” Maya was confused for half a moment, realizing that Riley didn’t want Lucas to know where she would be this summer.  
“Yeah, of course I will. I need to finish packing.” She started to move past Lucas, when she felt him stop her. “Lucas . . .”  
“You won’t be here this summer?”  
“No, internship” She tried not to look into his emerald eyes, “So you get our friends for the next six weeks.”  
“Here I thought I was leaving them in your care.” Lucas could feel his chest tighten as he breathed in the scent of her body wash, peppermint, she was nervous. “I have summer classes I’m just in town for a few days.”  
“Well, we saw each other and it’s about as awkward as it can be. I need to go Lucas, please let me go.” She could feel her body shaking as her eyes fell to his lips, how many girls had he kissed this past year, how many had he slept with trying to forget about her?  
“Isn’t that what got us at this point, you asking me to let you go?” Sadness clouded over him as he searched her chocolate eyes for something, anything, how did she stop loving him?  
“Good bye Lucas.” Riley pulled away from him before pushing her away out of the bakery. Once she was up on the street and sure no one followed her she leaned against the wall, catching her breath, her heart racing, she might have been the one to ask him to let her go, but why did she have such a difficult time erasing him from her heart, from her soul?  
Lucas sat next to Maya, “So did Zay tell you all the good news?”  
“What news?” Maya looked at the boys, feeling left out.  
“I told Farkle, but not Maya” Zay flashed a smile her way with a wiggle of his eyebrows.  
“Someone tell me before I get pissed.”  
Lucas looked to his old friend, a girl who confused the hell out of him when he was younger, “I’m spending the next six weeks in Paris I signed up for this summer study abroad program and got in. I leave tomorrow.”  
Maya looked to Farkle and Zay, “Boys, how could you not tell me this. That’s terrific news Lucas, amazing.”  
“You are way too happy.” Lucas looked to the boys were looking everywhere but at him. “What don’t I know?”  
Maya put a hand on his knee and smile, “Lucas, I’m just really glad Riley wasn’t here to hear that. She’s always wanted to go to Paris it would kill her to know you get to go.”  
“Oh yeah, I mean she’s spending the summer in DC, interning I’m guessing for her Uncle Eric?” Lucas was feeling guilty now.  
“Yeah exactly” Maya gave Farkle and Zay the look to follow her lead, “So um crazy question, what the hell happened between you and Riley?”  
“Maya” Farkle glared at his longtime friend, “If they ever wanted us to know why the broke up, why she won’t speak to him, they would tell us.”  
“Well I never asked Lucas, I’ve only asked Riley, so I’m giving him a chance.” Maya looked to him, “So Huckleberry, what happened, what changed?”  
“Riley and I decided to go to different schools,” he thought back to that moment, “she asked me to let her go, she begged me to let her go.”  
“You still love her, don’t you?” Farkle had been watching Lucas’ body language the entire time, the way he was holding something back.  
“Yes, I do, but I guess she’s over me.”  
Zay laughed, “Please, that girl will never be over you. What, you all know it’s true, she puts a brave face on around all of us even that talk about walking around the river with some sexy guy, or kissing in front of monuments, it’s all show, you and I all know she was thinking of him.”  
“Doesn’t matter” Lucas stood up, looking at his best friends, “’She’ll be in DC and I’ll be in Paris, maybe this was the last time we ever see each other.”  
“I doubt that Lucas, come on, there are no coincidences in this world.” She couldn’t stop smiling; she just wished she could be there when they saw each other. “So what flight are you on?”  
“Flight 923, I already checked in, I’m in seat 32A, a window seat.” He looked at the time, “I gotta go I promised my parents we’d have dinner tonight. It was good seeing you guys, we’ll hang out when I get back, before everyone goes back to school. I’ll skype from Paris.”  
“Bye Lucas!” They all called in unison.  
Maya looked to the boys, “Riley is on Flight 923, seat 32B.”  
“And Riley thinks Lucas is going back to Texas.” Farkle smiled knowingly.  
“While Lucas thinks Riley is going to DC.” Zay continued, “Damn I wish we had a live feed for that.”  
“So do I” Maya leaned back in her seat, “What are the chances that both these fools would sign up to go to Paris this summer?”  
“Well Lucas has been taking French since the sixth grade,” Zay reminded them, “how long has Riley taken it?”  
“Since the ninth grade” Farkle looked around, “What do you think he means by she begged me to let her go, that doesn’t sound like Riley, does it?”  
Maya sighed, “Unless she was doing it to protect herself. Afraid that being at two different schools would be too difficult. That long distance would be too much.”  
“You know for a couple of people that love to talk to each other, they’re terrible at saying the important stuff.” Zay leaned back in his seat.  
“Okay, bets on how long it takes before we get a call from one of them about their flight?”  
“It’s like a seven hour flight, depending on how soon they board, but it’ll be like this time tomorrow before they land.” Farkle thought for a moment, “So say another hour or two before they’re through customs and what not and in their rooms.”  
“So in about twenty-six hours we’ll hear from Riley about how Lucas is in Paris and she had to sit next to him the entire plane ride.” Maya looked at her watch, “Guys, let’s go have some fun, forget about those two because I have a feeling they’re going to forget all about us once they’re in the city of love.”  
#  
Riley hated that she had the middle seat, but at least she got to board the plane in the first zone, giving her a chance to get her bags stowed and herself settled, last thing she needed was to trip and fall in someone’s lap or arms or worse actually hurt her. She grabbed the novel her Uncle Josh had given her to read on the plane, made sure she had her headphones accessible and that her tablet was within reach.  
The cord for her headphones however were still in her bag she just stowed away. She quickly got up and tried to reach for the bag, she might be tall but not tall enough. She found herself standing on a seat to pull her bag out. Of course she lost her balance and fell into someone’s arms.   
She held her eyes tightly shut afraid of what this would lead to.  
Whoever it was holding her, cleared his throat, his touch sent sparks all over her body as he placed her down. “This isn’t a flight to DC.”  
Riley opened her eyes, immediately lost in the lily pads she knew far too well. “And this isn’t a flight to Texas.”  
“True, could I get to my seat?”  
“Oh you have the window seat?” Riley tried to make room for him to pass, but for some reason all that happened was she ended up in the window seat.  
Lucas sat in the middle seat, “You take that I’ll take this. It’s not that big of a deal.”  
“Thanks” she felt like a moron, of course Lucas would try to study abroad he been taking French since the sixth grade. “Thanks for catching me.”  
“Anytime, you’re very lucky it was me.” He looked around at the other passengers, “I mean it could’ve been that guy, or that one.”  
Riley smiled as he pointed around, “Yeah well, it would’ve been weird to have that meet cute story with someone other than you.”  
Lucas couldn’t help but smile as he looked into her dark coffee eyes, everything inside of him wanted to just kiss her. Did she still taste of Kiwi lip gloss? “Why did you tell me you were going to DC?”  
Riley looked down at her hands, “I just didn’t want to upset you about going to Paris without you. I know you’ve always wanted to go. I was also kind of shocked to see you I wasn’t expecting that, I was kind of thrown.”  
Lucas reached for her hand, taking it in his. Everyone always said she had a calming effect on him, but he was pretty sure it was him that calmed her down, “I never said I was going to Texas. I thought Zay would’ve told you.”  
“Nope, Zay kept that from me, or he just didn’t get to tell me a really good Lucas story.” Riley took a deep breath, “So, we’ve got what seven plus hours on a plane together huh?”  
“Looks like it.” His thumb rubbed over her fingers, it scared him just how easily he’d fallen into this, holding her hand.   
Riley tried not to look at him, but couldn’t help it she was terrified of getting lost in those green eyes, those same eyes she got lost in for the first time one night in the library in seventh grade. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.   
“Wait, who knew you were going to Paris?” Riley slipped her hand from his as she turned towards him.  
“Well I told Maya, Farkle last night, Zay knew but” Lucas stopped himself, deciding to keep the second part to himself. “I told them after you left, after you said you were going to DC. They of course knew you were going to Paris.”  
“They knew that, they even know my flight number and seat number.” Riley drummed her fingers on the arm rest.  
Lucas shook his head, “They asked me that stuff. They knew we were going to end up next to each other and it’s a seven hour flight we’ll eventually talk.”  
“People haven’t finished boarding and we’ve already talked.” Riley pulled a pack of gum from her pocket, handing a piece to Lucas, “For your ears.”  
“Thank you.” He held the piece of cinnamon gum as a young man sat next to him as he tried to think of what he should say to Riley.  
Fate had to be putting them together again, didn’t it? They were both going to Paris, she was the only girl he wanted to explore the city with, and now he had a chance. He waited until after the safety speech, and when they started to take off he felt her hand on his, her nerves getting to her.  
He leaned in, close enough to breathe in her Jasmine scent, “It’s okay Riles I’m here, just hold on.”  
Riley turned to him she was too close to him, close enough to kiss and God that’s all she wanted to do in this moment. She wanted to give in, to kiss him to do whatever it took to make up for the last year apart. She didn’t say anything though she didn’t kiss him she just stared at him, why had she let him go, why had he let her go?  
Seven hours, they could avoid talking to each other about letting go, right? Seven hours they had to have enough stories to fill that time.  
Lucas reached up, brushing the hair from her eyes, “If you love someone, let them go, if they come back to you, they’re yours. If not, they never were.”  
“Lucas . . . Do you really want to do this right now?”  
“We’ve got seven hours Riley let’s get it out of the way.” He felt her hand cover his, pulling it away from her face.  
“You let me go.”  
“And here I am.” He searched her eyes seeing the shadow of pain crossing over them. “You let me go.”  
“And here I am.” She responded, trying desperately not to cry. “Why did you have to propose on Graduation of all days?”  
“I want to marry you Riley I thought that was what you wanted as well for us to prepare to build our lives together.”  
“How could we do that if you were somewhere else Lucas people change people.”  
Lucas pulled away; this past year he’d wondered what she’d been afraid of, why she would be afraid of their future. “Were you afraid we would grow apart by going to separate schools in different states?”  
Riley rubbed her left ring finger, “I was afraid you would resent me if we were engaged, that being engaged to me would be holding you back.’  
His heart was breaking all over again, “I could never resent you Riley.”  
“I’m sure your new girlfriend would love to know that.”  
“I don’t have a new girlfriend. The only girlfriend I have ever had is you.”  
“You didn’t move on?”  
“You’re not easy to move on from Riley.” He took a nervous breath, “You don’t have a boyfriend, do you?”  
She shook her head no, afraid of where this was going, but hoping for it at the same time. “So you’re single, and I’m single.”  
“Correct.” He watched her, he knew when a scheme was forming in her mind, “Riley, babe, what are you thinking?”  
She started chewing on the thumbnail as she sat back in her seat letting her thoughts process for a moment, “We’re going to be in Paris, together, for six weeks, correct?”  
“Yes, I believe we’ve established that.”  
“You, me, Paris, the most romantic city in the world” She smiled.  
“You want to try again?” He was hopeful he hadn’t expected her to go for this so quickly.  
“Six weeks, that’s what we get. We’re here, together for these six weeks, let’s take advantage of it.”  
She was crazy, but God he still loved her. “How does it work?”  
Riley pulled away as she let her wheels turn again, “We set certain rules before we land. We agree upon them, sort of like a mini-contract between us things that are off the table.”  
“Like what?”  
“Sex.”  
Lucas nodded, “I mean I’m still a virgin, so.”  
“Same.” She smiled, giving his hand a quick squeeze. “Um we can’t tell our friends back home that we’re together, you know how they are.”  
“Agreed, they would be bugging the hell out of us over this.”   
“We can’t say I love you.” She tensed herself as she said it.  
“Riley . . . you can’t be serious?”  
“We can’t say it, and no marriage proposals.”  
“Oh you think I’m crazy enough to put myself out there for that again, you turned me down in that subway and broke up with me.” He searched her yes, “But I did mean every single word of it Riley.”  
“One more rule.”  
“What is it?”  
She took an unsteady breath, “When we land back in New York it’s over.”  
“Riley, it doesn’t have to be.”  
“We might not even make it the six weeks Lucas. If we do it could be amazing, and I would rather have just six amazing weeks with you, than months of lonely nights without you, which I’m going to get anyways.”  
He should tell her, right now he should tell her, but the words didn’t come. “Okay, I think those rules are fair, just one more.”  
“What?”  
“We have to promise to get you that kiss in front of the Eiffel tower picture you’ve been dreaming of.”  
“Are you sure you weren’t the one dreaming of that.” She teased as she pushed her shoulder against his.  
“I think we both were.” His hands caught her face and he kissed her, softly, tentatively as she kissed him back. Relief washed over him.  
#  
Riley sat on the window seat of her bay window, looking out at New York, missing her views of Paris at night. Maya was going through the slideshow of pictures she’d put together for her friends to view. Her mind was on everything that happened in Paris, all the times he held her hand walking along the Seine, when they went to the Louvre, or the day they spent at Versailles, the nights they just explored and walked around, when he kissed her in front of the Eiffel tower, the Arc de Triomphe. Her heart would speed up at just the thought of him.  
“Oh my God are you kissing Lucas in this picture?” Maya couldn’t take her eyes off the picture of Riley in Lucas’ arms with the Eiffel tower behind them.  
Riley was snapped out of her memories as she raced over to her friend, “I, um, it was just for the picture.”  
“Did you feel something when he kissed you?”  
Riley sat on the bed looking at the picture, “It was like a summer rain, followed by fireworks. It was um just a couple of days ago. This was the last touristy thing we did before we had finals and came back.”  
“Do you love him?”  
Riley rose, moving back to the bay window, “When have I not?”  
“Then why aren’t you together Riley?”  
“Because he and I agreed that we’re not together, if Lucas and I are meant to be Maya, we’re going to be together, it’s just not the right time now.” She tried to wave it off, hoping Maya would believe her for the time being.  
Maya rolled her eyes, “You always make this so difficult, you two love each other, be together.”  
“We do not.”  
“Yeah, you do.” Maya continued through the slideshow, “Who are these people always with you two?”  
“Oh Maddie and Henry our roommates, they kind of got together day one.” Riley looked at her new friends, smiling to herself.  
“What’s their deal?”  
“Um, well Maddie is from Miami and Henry is from North Dakota, they sat next to each other on the plane and clicked. By the time we landed in Paris they were head over heels for each other.” Riley explained, “So much so that, they basically lived together in Henry and Lucas’ room.”  
“Where did Lucas live?” Maya wiggled her eyebrows, “Where did Lucas sleep?”  
Riley looked towards her closed bedroom door, “The other bed in my room.”  
Maya smiled, “You’re telling me, that all summer you guys basically shared a room and you only kissed once in front of the Eiffel tower?”  
“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you.” Riley picked her laptop up and put it on the desk, “When do we need to be at Farkle’s?”  
“An hour and a half; why”  
“I’m going to go shower, the jet lag has me feeling gross you going to hang here?”  
“Yeah, I’ll even pick out a hot outfit for you Paris girl, got to get you back to your New York look.”  
Riley looked at her clothes, “What’s wrong with my look, it didn’t change did it?”  
“I’m teasing, go shower.” Maya watched as Riley grabbed her things and left for the bathroom. As soon as she knew the coast was clear she dialed Farkle, “They kissed.”  
“I know I saw the picture from Versailles.”  
“Wait, you mean the Eiffel tower, don’t you?”  
“No, I mean Versailles.” Farkle laughed, “Wait, we saw different kisses then. Did she tell you it only happened once?”  
“Yeah, she did.” Maya sat at Riley’s desk, the laptop still awake, “oh, I just found something, Rucas in Paris, could she be cheesier?”  
“It’s Riley and we love her but probably.”  
Maya’s eyes went wide as she went through the pictures hundreds of Riley and Lucas together, holding hands, holding each other, kissing, dancing, walking, taken all over Paris. “Holy shit”  
“What did you find?”  
“Those liars” Maya shook her head, “Crap, she’s in the shower, I’m going to email you a couple of these pictures and you tell me what you see.”  
“Okay, but do it fast.”  
Maya moved quickly, sending Farkle several different ones. “You should get those soon. Is Lucas going to be at your place tonight?”  
“Yeah he is, he said he doesn’t have to get back to Texas right now, so he’s going to spend some time in the city.”  
“Don’t say anything to Zay until I get there, actually don’t mention this to Zay at all he has no poker face over this stuff.” Maya exited the file before going to sit on the window seat. Why would Riley lie, what was Riley hiding and who was she hiding it from exactly?  
#  
Riley followed Maya out of the elevator and down the hall, “So his Dad just bought him a new apartment, but why?”  
“Let Farkle tell you himself.” Maya opened the door.  
“Ladies”  
“Farkle” The replied in unison, even after all this time.  
Farkle gave Riley a tight hug, “So, what do you think of my new apartment.”  
“It’s amazing, but why, you only spend summers and holidays in New York now.”  
“I did, last year, but I decided to transfer to Columbia.” He shrugged as he led them through the apartment, which was of course larger than the one Riley grew up in and Maya’s combined.  
“Yay, I won’t be the only one in New York anymore.”  
“Um, excuse me, impolite, I’ve been in New York the entire time.” Zay came out from the balcony, a glass of wine in his hand.  
“Besides you Zay, you never hang out with me. You’re always with those dance friends of yours.” Riley batted her eyes at him playfully, “Where’d you get the wine.”  
“Right here” Lucas appeared at the balcony door, holding a bottle of her favorite Sauvignon Blanc, “I thought since this might be the last night were all together for a while we should share a drink.”  
Riley smiled to him, “I had the same idea.” She pulled out a bottle of his favorite Bordeaux from her bag.  
“Well let me open that so it can breathe.” He took the bottle from her and went into the kitchen. Riley was behind him, “Thank you.” She could feel her friends watching them, “They’re being weird, right?”  
“When aren’t they?” Lucas worked to remove the foil from the bottle and looked out, “Okay they are. What did you say to Maya?”  
“Nothing, she just looked at the pictures from Paris” Riley bit her lip, “I might have mentioned you and I basically shared a room.”  
“Oh we shared a room, is that you would call that.” He was close to her, dangerously close, so close he could kiss her, pin her body against the kitchen counter and have his way with her close.  
“Lucas, not right now” She ducked away from him, “So Farkle is transferring to Columbia, crazy huh?”  
“Not that crazy.” He smiled to her. “Just because you dream of going to a certain school doesn’t mean that it’s where you should go.”  
“You would know, wouldn’t you?” She watched as he poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her.  
“Yeah, like I always dreamed of going to the University of Texas, and I did, but I wasn’t happy there.” Lucas yearned to touch her, “I was miserable Riley, I hated it there.”  
She suddenly felt her heart racing like a horse about to win the Kentucky derby. “Lucas . . .”  
“We can talk later I fear they’re scheming without one of us in the room.”  
“Go, I need a moment.”  
Riley watched as he moved into the living room pouring a glass of wine for Maya and then one for himself.  
“So, I saw some amazing pictures Riley had from Paris.” Maya took a small sip of her wine, it wasn’t really her thing but Lucas and Riley seemed to have developed a taste for it, she could give it a try.  
“Oh yeah, Riley took great pictures.”  
“Actually,” Maya looked to Farkle and Zay, “I think maybe one of your friends must’ve taken this one. The two of you were kissing.”  
Lucas had picked the wrong moment to take a sip of wine as he started to choke and cough, “Oh that one, from Versailles.”  
“Eiffel tower actually.” Maya smiled.  
Riley had come out just in time for that, “Versailles?”  
Lucas looked to her, “Eiffel tower?”  
“Okay, we kissed twice in Paris, happy?” Riley looked to her friends who still had that scheming look on their faces, “What?”  
“Rucas in Paris” was all Maya had to say for Riley to know she found all the pictures, every single one of them.  
“I really like this one.” Zay took Farkle’s phone and scrolled to a picture of Riley and Lucas laying on her bed, their bodies entwined, she was going to have to kill Henry for taking that one, but it was also one of her favorites.  
Lucas came over to her, his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close to his side, “I think we should tell them about Paris, we broke all the other rules, might as well break the last one.”  
“Rules, what rules?” Farkle looked at them, “You made rules for your time together didn’t you?”  
“Yes, we did.” Riley stood up as straight as she could while still leaning into Lucas’ body, “When we were on our flight to Paris, we started talking, and given the circumstances as we saw them at the time, we agreed those six weeks together was better than nothing. But we set a few ground rules to follow.”  
“We couldn’t say I love you” Lucas started.  
“We couldn’t propose to the other.” Riley continued.  
“It would end the moment we were back here.”  
“We couldn’t tell you guys what was going on.”  
Lucas and Riley looked at each other for a moment, “And no sex.”  
Zay looked to Farkle, “What rule was the last for them to break?”  
Maya slapped Zay’s arm three times quickly, “Telling us.”  
The three friends exchanged quick glances and then looked at each other, “Wait,” Maya started and Farkle continued, “You had to make a rule not to propose?”  
“I think we need to sit down, and the two of you need to explain what happened in Paris.” Zay suggested, his mind still going over the rules, “And start from when you got to Paris.”  
#  
“Wow, suitemates, wasn’t expecting that.” Riley could feel her dorm keys in her hand as she held them tightly as Lucas and she went up the stairs.  
“Me either, but hey your Dad isn’t here to freak out. He isn’t in Paris right?”  
“If he is, I don’t know about it.” Riley gave him a smile as they stopped in front of their door. “It might be a little odd living together, right?”  
“We’ll be in separate rooms, so it won’t be like we’re in the same room, sharing a bed.” He reminded her as he opened the door.  
One of the bedroom doors was closed, the other wide open. “Looks like at least one roommate is checked in already”  
“Yeah, I wonder if it’s” He looked at the paper they’d given them downstairs, “Henry or Madeline.”  
“Go knock on that door and find out.” Riley pushed him playfully.  
Lucas rolled his eyes but he knocked, and a moment later a young man with brown hair, glasses, and already half undressed answered, with a redheaded girl behind him, equally as dressed. “Hey you must be Lucas.”  
“Yeah, are you Henry?”  
“Yeah, and this is Maddie, we’re your suitemates.”  
“This is Riley, our other suitemate.” Lucas looked over to her, as she looked equally shocked.   
Henry looked to Maddie, “Give us just a minute and we’ll be out.”  
“They’re a couple?” Riley asked after the door was shut.  
Lucas shrugged, “Maybe that seems fast right?”  
“I don’t know I’ve never moved fast.”  
Lucas gave her a smile, “We make our own rules Riley we do what we do.”  
She wrapped her arms around him, feeling his kiss on the top of her head. It was amazing that they were so similar in height she could remember when he towered over her.  
“See, I told you they’re a couple.” Maddie’s voice cut through the silence.  
Riley and Lucas pulled away from each other, “Old friends.” Riley felt a chill as she spoke.   
“So, um,” Lucas looked to the new roommates, “Whose room is that?”  
Henry and Maddie glanced at each other, “Well, we were thinking, and it’s cool if you guys aren’t down for this.” Henry began to ramble.  
Maddie took his hand, “We were thinking if you two are okay with it, that Henry and I would take this room. You guys could have the other. We’re all adults, and it’s not like they specifically assigned us to a room within the suite. I mean we all have our own beds.”  
“So you two want to share a room, and you think we should share a room?” Lucas was sure he could feel the panic from Riley, or maybe it was just his own.  
“That’s fine.” Riley’s words shocked him.  
“It is?”  
“Separate beds silly.” Riley was trying to be cool, adult about this, but part of her was a bit terrified of sleeping in the same room as Lucas. But they had the rules, it would be okay.  
“Then yeah, whatever works best then.” Lucas agreed, still stunned by Riley.  
“Great, um, we’ll see you in the morning.” Henry beamed before lifting Maddie up from behind and carrying her into the bedroom.  
Riley and Lucas were left in the common room, “So, let’s pick our beds.” She suggested before going into the other bedroom.  
He closed the door behind them, “Riles, are you sure you’re okay with this?”  
She put her bags down on the bed at the far side of the room, “It’s a little weird, but I have a feeling one of us would get kicked out of their room anyways. They’ll probably be like rabbits that; was how my roommate was in the fall when she started dating a guy from our building.”  
Lucas nodded, “True, mine was the same way, except he was always in his girlfriend’s room so I got the room to myself a lot of the time.”  
Riley watched as he put his bags down on the bed. “This is going to be a little weird, won’t it?”  
“Yeah, probably, and as soon as we get used to it, we’ll be on our way back to America.”  
“That’s six weeks away.” Riley began to unpack her things, “Hey Lucas, are you happy at school in Texas?”  
“No.” He looked over to her, “Are you happy in New York?”  
“It’s weird, I always thought Maya and I would go to the same school, but she’s in Philadelphia, Farkle is up at MIT, Zay and I never see each other.”  
Lucas was searching for the right words to ask what he wanted to know, needed to know.  
“It was missing you that hurt the most.” She confessed before looking away.  
Before Riley could even think she felt herself twirled around and in his arms, his lips crashing on hers. Her body pressed against his as her arms flung around his neck. “What was that for?” She was breathless as she spoke.  
“Because I needed to kiss you, for knowing what I wanted to ask when I couldn’t put the words together, for being the most beautiful girl in Paris.” He could get lost in her brown eyes forever he knew that, he also knew he would slip up sooner or later and break one of the rules.  
“Why aren’t you happy in Texas?”  
“It’s not home, you’re not there.” He kissed her forehead, “I should tell you something.”  
“What?”  
“I’m not going back to Texas after this. I’m transferring to NYU in the fall.”  
Riley pulled away from him, “You’re what?”  
“I’m going to be in New York Riley.”  
She sat on the bed, trying to control her breathing, “You’re coming home?”  
“Yeah” He crouched down in front of her, “we can talk about all of that later when you’re ready sweetheart. We have six weeks in Paris together we can discuss how we feel about our future after that.”  
Riley nodded, still stunned shocked to know that he would be in New York after this.  
“Should I have kept this a secret? I figured Zay’s going to spill it eventually, he probably already told Farkle and Maya by now.” His fingers fell to her chin, pointing her face up to his, “Focus on you and me, here and now. We’re two young people in Paris we’re going to have the time of our lives.”  
Riley wiped her eyes, “I’m just shocked I just figured Texas was where you wanted to be.”  
“Same program in New York better program in New York, plus other possibilities” He confessed, “But we discuss those on our next flight if you want, not till then.”  
She nodded still stunned, “Um, we need to unpack and maybe try to sleep.”  
“Good thinking.”  
#  
“You guys shared a bedroom in Paris?” Farkle looked to his friends, “Does Hambone know? Can I be there when you tell him?”  
“Yeah, the look of pure fear in Lucas’ eyes is right at riding Tombstone levels.” Zay chimed in.  
Riley and Lucas rolled their eyes as they looked to their friends, “Do you want to know more, or should we leave it at that.”  
“I need details, lots of details.” Maya reminded, “I’m seriously confused by what’s going on.”  
Lucas poured Riley another glass of wine before pouring one for him “You just have to let us tell the story.”  
“Fine, go on.” Zay leaned back in his seat, just as Maya leaned into him.  
#  
“So a week in Paris down,” Lucas held Riley’s hand as they walked around the left bank.  
“Only five more to go” Her voice was sad, “I’m really enjoying out time together, plus our classes of course.”  
“And you don’t mind at all waking up to me across the bedroom without a shirt on?” He teased pulling her close to him.  
Riley crinkled her face, “You’re shirtless in the mornings, I never noticed.”  
“Oh really?” his lips planted quick kisses on her neck, “what have you noticed in the morning?”  
“You talk in your sleep a little bit.” She giggled, throwing her arms around him, “Well more like mumble nonsense.”  
“I do not.”  
“You do, I’ll record you if you don’t believe me, but it’s adorable.” She bit her lip, fighting back the statement she knew was about to slip out. “What do you notice in the morning?” She allowed herself to ask.  
“Your hair is always this beautiful mess I’m amazed you can get your brush through it.” He looked into her eyes, “and you do this stretch each day, I don’t think you realize it, as you get out of bed. You bounce a bit on your toes as you reach up and yawn. I love it.”  
Riley sucked in her breath, “Careful Friar, you don’t want to slip up on our rules.”  
Lucas sighed, “I hate the rules.”  
“Oh come on, they’re not all bad. It’s kind of nice not telling everyone back home.”  
“That is one rule I approve of.” He kissed her, his fingers tangling in her hair.  
Riley was sure her foot would pop like in an old movie if he kept kissing her this way and it did.  
“They are so sickeningly in love.” Maddie said from behind her camera after snapping a picture of the two.  
Riley pulled away from Lucas, hiding her head against his chest just as Maddie snapped another picture, “Do you have to do that?”  
“Yup, you’ll thank me for this someday, just like I’ll thank you fellow photog for all the pictures you’ve snapped of me and Henry.”  
Riley giggled as she looked to her suitemates, “Okay point taken.”  
“So, what are you two planning to do the rest of the evening?” Lucas asked the other couple.  
“We’re going to check out this club we heard about, want to come? It doesn’t really start until ten.”  
“It starts at ten?” Riley gasped, why did thinks start at ten, she would never understand that.  
Lucas tried not to laugh, “I think we might enjoy a quiet evening at home then, maybe pick up a bottle of wine, some cheese.”  
“You two are so lame, are you sure you’re from New York?” Maddie whined.  
“Yeah, probably why clubs don’t excite us” Riley shrugged.  
“You’re like an old lady.”  
“She gets that from her father.” Lucas wrapped his arms around Riley from behind, “You guys have fun clubbing it up. We’ll have fun at home.”  
Henry got a smile on his face, “Yeah, Maddie, let them have a quiet evening at home.”  
It was like Maddie got some secret message all of a sudden, “Oh, yeah, sure, um we’ll see you in the morning before we all go to The Louvre.”  
“Yeah, night guys” Riley watched as their suitemates left, “Lucas, you know sex is off the table.”  
“I know that, and you know that.” He whispered into her ear, “I also know that implying that’s what you and I would be doing, was the only way to keep Maddie from insisting we’re boring.”  
“I don’t think anyone would call us boring, would they?”  
“Not anyone that really knows us.” He kissed her neck again, “Besides, we do what we do, they do what they do.”  
Riley could feel the electric chills shoot through her body whenever he did that. “True, so let’s get some wine, some bread, and go home to our room.”  
He released her before taking her hand as they began to walk again, “You know, we’re taking the exact same classes, I know why I’m taking them, but why are you?”  
“Well,” she looked out at the river, “I um, kind of need these classes for my minor.”  
“Wait did you declare a major and a minor?” He stopped walking, stunned; she’d never had a clear idea of what she wanted to do. He just figured she would explore it freshmen and sophomore year.  
She nodded, “Yeah, these classes we’re taking go towards my minor however. My major is Poli-Sci, with a minor in literature. Why are you taking these?”  
“Pre-Med major, literature minor” he smiled, “What are you planning to do with Poli-Sci?”  
“I spent part of the first semester interning at the Rand foundation, and then second semester at the Minkus foundation.” She explained, “Both non-profits, trying to help people in this world, but you in a way need to know how it all works together. I haven’t actually taken any Poli-Sci class yet, I might change my mind I have time.”  
“You will be amazing at anything you decide to do.” He pushed the windblown hair form her eyes.  
“Why are you so sure of that?”  
Lucas took a moment, “I’m not allowed to say, it’s against the rules.”  
She felt her heart speed up; they would break the rules, all of them, wouldn’t they? “We should go get that wine.”  
“Yeah, let’s go.”  
#  
Riley’s eyes flew open as she gasped for air, “Lucas, Lucas!”  
Groggy, mostly asleep he raced across the room, “Riles, what’s wrong honey?”  
She was clutching her chest, moonlight washing over the room as she looked at him, “I had a terrible dream.”  
He sat on her bed as she threw her arms around him, “What happened, what was so terrible?”  
“I lost you.” She confessed, burring her face in his neck, “I was on the subway back in New York, I saw you and you ignored me, and doors closed in my face, it was awful.”  
“You are never going to lose me Riley.” He felt like he’d been kicked in the stomach, “I wish I could tell you why, but you know, in your heart you know.”  
Riley pulled away from him, “Rationally I know, emotionally I know, but subconsciously I’m still that insecure girl.”  
Lucas caressed her face, his thumb wiping away her stray tears, “Riley, I meant every word I said when I proposed to you last year, I still mean it” he bit his lip to keep from breaking these silly rules, “One day, I’ll get to say them again, and I will mean them even more.”  
Riley kissed him, hard and deep to keep him from saying anything else, “I know Lucas, I know.” She finally breathed.  
“Get back to sleep.”  
“Lay with me.”  
He nodded as she moved over in the bed, that they barely fit in as he pulled her close to him, falling asleep with her in his arms the way they did in high school occasionally when he would sneak into her room at night to talk.  
When Riley woke up, she looked at Lucas as he still slept. They only had a week left in Paris, part of her felt as though the rules they’d come up with, well she’d come up with were denying them of everything they could have.  
But she couldn’t break them now, five weeks and they’d been so strong, one more week of the rules and then they would be free, but what would they be?  
#  
“I still don’t get it.” Maddie had been listening to Riley explain the rules as they enjoyed coffee at an outdoor café.   
“Okay, so you know Lucas and I are together now, but before we ended up next to each other on the flight we’d been apart for year.”  
“Why did you break up?”  
“I got scared when he proposed, it was right after graduation.” Riley smiled, “we were on the same subway line where we met sitting in sort of the same seat that I first fell into his lap. It was beautiful, it was perfect, and all I could think was that I don’t want him to feel obligated to be with me forever. I begged him to let me go, if he came back to me and I him, then we were meant to be.”  
Maddie shook her head as she took a sip of her café au lait, “Has anyone ever told you that you two are exhausting?”  
“Maya and Zay say it all the time.” Riley smiled, “So we set these stupid rules I came up with for while we’re here. Before we knew we were suitemates, before you and Henry took one room for yourself. Every single day, I almost tell him I love him like thirty times.”  
“Then tell him, forget these rules. You’re both going to NYU when you get back, what’s holding you to these six weeks?” Maddie looked around at the people walking by. “I know he was in Texas, and I get how scary long distance is, hell Henry and I are going to give it a try, but I am terrified.”  
Riley sighed, “If it helps I think the two of you would make it.”  
“You and Lucas will as well.” Maddie leaned over the table, “Tell him, forget the rules, kiss him and tell him you love him hell have sex with him already I know you want to. What are you two waiting for?”  
Riley looked at her hands, “We almost did it a few times in high school, it just wasn’t right. I don’t think we ever agreed we were waiting for anything specific like an engagement or marriage, just the right moment.”  
Maddie saw a dreamy look cross over Riley’s face, “What’s with that look?”  
“In the seventh grade I liked him, he liked me, but we were just friends. He was Romeo, I was Juliet, and when it came time for the kiss Farkle took over the show and stole it.” Riley smiled at the memory, “A few days later I was on the set, Lucas came in, reciting his lines and for just half a second I thought he might kiss me. Instead he said he couldn’t believe Farkle had stolen his moment, and then he told me his moment would be his moment when it happened.”  
“You guys are sickeningly sweet, you realize this, right?” Maddie raised her perfectly arched eyebrow.  
“That would be my parents, trust me. Lucas and I are far more normal.”   
“So, when was his moment, tell me about it.”  
“We were on a ski trip in high school,” she got a chill at the memory, “He was trying to teach me how to ski, and he actually knocked me over instead of the other way around since I was a super klutz.”  
“Go on.” Maddie watched her friend lost in the memory.  
“We helped each other up, and I lost my balance, falling into his arms. It was snowing just barely, and I remember looking into his eyes as he held me and we were kissing.”  
“That is a great first kiss.” Maddie sighed.  
“That wasn’t our first kiss.” Riley took a sip of her coffee.  
Maddie reached over, her hand on Riley’s arm, “When was your first kiss?”  
“Our first date in the seventh grade, I kissed him on the subway.”  
“Riley Matthews, who knew you, were so aggressive.”  
“I’m not always, not when I over think it.”  
“Which is what you’re doing now” Maddie looked around, “You want to be with Lucas right?”  
“More than anything” She confessed.  
“And he wants to be with you, don’t even deny it. You see it, I know you see it.”  
“So what, I just say Lucas let’s do this, you and me?”  
“Yeah, maybe not exactly like that, but tell him how you feel. Forget your rules and take a leap of faith with him.”  
Riley sighed, “I’ll think about it.”  
“Don’t think that’s what gets you into trouble.”  
“It scares me how well you know me, especially considering how much time you and Henry spend in your room alone.”  
Maddie shrugged, “You know me just as well.  
#  
Lucas was alone in the suite, staring at the ring he kept on his keychain. It was the ring he’d used to propose to Riley, it was meant to sit on her finger. He’d found it at a shop a few weeks before graduation, he hadn’t been looking for it, but it found him. It was gold, with a small cameo instead of a stone. Something about it just reminded him of Riley.  
Three days left in Paris, he had almost told her he loved her more times than he could count. The words marry me were close to slipping from his lips almost every day.   
“Hey, get dressed we’re going out to dinner.” Riley came in the room a bundle of energy as she moved about the room.  
“We are?”  
“Yeah, please just put on some nice slacks and a nice shirt, I promise it will be worth it.” She flashed him a smile and batted her eyelashes the way she knew always got him to do what she wanted.  
“Of course, when are we leaving?”  
Riley glanced at her watch, “Half an hour, I have an interesting night planned for us.”  
“Oh you do huh?”  
“Yeah, I do, now hurry, please.”  
He kissed her feeling her melt against him, he could hear her sigh as he pulled away, “I’ll be ready soon.”  
Riley watched as he left the room, she quickly changed into the clothes she’d purchased while out with Maddie and then put on her favorite lilac dress that she had been saving for a special occasion. Tonight was going to be that occasion, as she pulled her hair up and touched up her make up.  
Lucas came back in the room, his breath hitching in his chest when he saw her, “You look amazing.”  
She looked to him with a smile as she saw him in her favorite purple button down and slacks. “So do you.”  
“Well, where are we going?”   
“That’s for me to know and you to find out.” She kissed him quickly before sliding her hand in his, “Tonight is going to be special we only have a little time left.”  
Lucas sighed, kissing her forehead, biting back the words he was so desperate to say.  
Riley grabbed her purse and started leading him to the door, “Trust me Lucas, this will be a night we’ll never forget.”  
Lucas put his hand in his pocket around his keys, “Yes, I’m sure it will.”  
#  
After dinner at a hidden little restaurant that Riley had discovered a few weeks ago when out with Maddie, they were finishing their wine when Riley looked up at him, the low candle light creating a romantic glow around them. “So, what did you think?”  
Lucas reached across the table, his hand over hers, his thumb dancing over the back of his hand. “This was an amazing meal, with amazing company.”  
“I’m glad” she took the final sip of her wine “We only have a few days left before we go back.”  
“Yes, that is true.” Lucas felt his heart twist, “Riley, about that. . .”  
“Let’s continue this outside” Riley paid the bill, “I think we should enjoy this talk outside.”  
“Of course” he followed her out to the street, trying to figure out what she was up to.  
She took his hands as they moved towards the river, “I’ve been thinking, a lot, because that’s what I do and I usually make the wrong decision, but I don’t think I am this time.”  
“Riley, what’s going on?” He watched her smile as she looked around and gave a small nod to the distance.  
“Lucas Friar, I’m breaking the rules.” She moved in closer to him, “I made those rules out of fear. A fear of my own insecurities, and right now, I know that if I don’t say it, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life.”  
“Riley, seriously, what’s going on?”  
“I love you. I have loved you for so long, and yes I’ve said it before, hundreds, thousands of times, but the truth is I love you more now, than I did before and every day I’m going to grow to love you, even if we’re apart, but I don’t want us to be apart.”  
Lucas kissed her before she could continue talking, feeling a rush of energy as he did so before breaking it, her face in his hands as he looked into those chocolate eyes, “I love you Riley, God that feels so good to say. I love you always.”  
#  
“Oh God, could you two be any cheesier?” Maya rolled her eyes even though she was smiling.  
“So you guys are back together now, since you broke your own rules. Wasn’t one of them that you broke up once you landed” Farkle stared at them, the way Lucas’ arms were wrapped around Riley as she sat in front of him.  
“We decided that we’ve overcome so much already, that no matter what happens we plan to be together forever.” Riley smiled as she leaned into Lucas.  
Maya stood up, “Okay, is anyone else sickened by these lovesick fools?”  
Zay was up with Maya, “I am you want to split a cab Maya?”  
“Yeah, that sounds great.”  
Farkle watched them shaking his head as the pair quickly left. “They’re not fooling anyone.”  
“When did that start?” Lucas questioned as he and Riley helped their friend clean up from the gathering.  
“Fourth of July, I think, at least that’s when they got obvious.” He looked at the two of them, “Maya and Zay might have let this drop, but who proposed?”  
Riley looked to Lucas and pulled out five dollars, “What, I thought Maya would ask.”  
“Thanks buddy.” Lucas smiled as he slipped the cash into his back pocket, “I guess we can tell him that part, if he promises to not tell the others just yet.”  
“Of course, obviously you two stopped the story for a reason, but I’m a genius so go on.”  
#  
“Lucas . . .” She started as she watched him drop to one knee.  
“Riley Matthews, you will always have my heart, you will always be a part of my soul, you are the ying to my yang, please baby, answer with your heart, will you marry me?” He had the ring in his fingers as he held her hand.  
“Yes, Lucas, yes, a million times yes.” Her hand was shaking as he slipped the ring on her finger.   
“Thank God you said yes.” He breathed as he looked up at her.  
“Of course I said yes, I was going to ask you.” She confessed as he stood up, his arms wrapping around her before he kissed her again.  
“You were?”  
“Family tradition, Mom proposed to Dad in the middle of their high school graduation.” She reminded him.  
Lucas nodded, “Oh right, sorry, did I steal your moment?”  
“No, that was your moment.” Her fingers danced at the back of his head, “And if we’re lucky, Maddie caught a picture of it.”  
Lucas looked around, and he saw the redhead wave with her camera. “Oh you’re good.”  
“I wanted to capture whatever happened.” She held on to him dizzy with joy. “Um one more thing.”  
“What?” He studied her, wondering what else she had planned.  
She looked at the buttons of his shirt, “I um, asked Maddie if she and Henry would push our beds together before we got home. We don’t have to … you know, we can just fall asleep in each other’s arms I just don’t want to be across the room from you anymore than I have to.”  
“I love you know that, whatever else happens tonight will just be an extension of it.”  
“Thank God we both came to Paris this summer.”  
“We never have to be apart again, remember I’m starting at NYU in a few weeks.” He told her as they started to walk towards their friends.  
“I know.” Riley held his hand in her.  
“You guys I got the best pictures for you.” Maddie was beaming as she pulled them up on her screen.   
“Those are stunning did it really look like this?” Riley studied the picture, “Wow, why aren’t you pursuing this Maddie?”  
“It’s a hobby, just like you, I have other passions.” Maddie smiled, “But it’s good to know I have this to fall back on.”  
“You know what we need?” Henry popped into the conversation.  
“What’s that pal?”  
“Champagne to toast the newly engaged couple.”  
“Good thing we’re in France, I think we might be able to find some.” Maddie teased her boyfriend.  
“Then let us find some.”  
#  
Farkle crossed his arms over his chest as he looked at the pair, “So when’s the wedding?”  
Riley and Lucas smiled, “We haven’t decided yet, but you will be one of the first to know.”  
Riley hugged her friend, “Farkle, thank you for always believing in me, in Lucas, in us.”  
“Always Riley, always.”  
“We should get going, we’ll talk tomorrow Farkle.” Lucas hugged his friend and pulled his fiancé out of the apartment with him.  
“So, walk me home?”  
“I would love nothing more than that my sweet.” Lucas took her hand as they went to the elevator, “So, you still think surprising everyone is the best idea?”  
“Yes, I do.”   
The elevator doors opened revealing Maya and Zay kissing, having forgotten the rest of the world.  
“Um guys, this is public elevator.” Lucas’ voice startled them and they jumped apart as though they’d been caught doing something terrible.  
Riley followed him onto the elevator, studying her friends for a while, “So, how long did you think you could keep this from us?”  
Maya looked to Zay who sighed, “Honey Nugget, we should tell them, it’s been long enough.”  
“Honey Nugget” Riley and Lucas questioned at once.  
Maya shot them a dirty look and took Zay’s hand, “We’ve had an unofficial thing going for a while now.”  
“How long Maya?” Riley stared her friend down.  
“Two years, three months and six days.” Zay announced proudly.  
Everyone stared at him for a moment and then at Maya, “Wow, I never would’ve guessed. Farkle just figured since the Fourth of July.”  
“We don’t have a label for this.” Maya explained, “But we enjoy our time together.”  
“We saw.” Lucas chuckled as he elevator hit the lobby, “Good night, I need to get Riley home, don’t want to make Mr. Matthews furious.”  
Riley was speechless for a few minutes as they walked around New York, “Over two years and we didn’t know?”  
“They spent a lot of the past year apart going to different schools.” Lucas reminded her as they went down to the subway.  
“True.”   
They got onto the train a moment later, Lucas pulling her onto his lap, even though there were plenty of other seats. “I found an apartment today for us, it’s small, but we should be able to afford it.”  
“Really, that’s great, when can we move in?”  
“Next Wednesday, so we might have to spend a few nights apart after Friday.”  
“No, we are not. If my parents don’t let us stay in my old room or your parents don’t let us stay in yours we’ll figure something out. Farkle, I bet he has a spare room we could use if we have to.” Riley breathed in his scent, “I don’t even want to spend tonight apart from you.”  
“So I should sneak in like in high school?”  
“No” Riley shook her head, “We are going to walk through the front door, and just go to my room. If my Dad flips out, we tell him we’re engaged, and if he still flips out, we tell him how we got our marriage license already, how we plan on getting married on Friday, in three days.”  
“Well then, let’s give it a try and see what happens.” He was a bit terrified, but her father had to know how much he loved Riley by now, right?  
When they got off the train they walked a little slowly to her parents apartment, “I don’t think I’ve been this nervous since we tried dating in the eighth grade and we got all stiff and weird.”  
“Me either.” Riley looked at the door of the apartment she’d grown up in, “Just be cool, we can do that right?”  
Lucas smiled, “Sure sweetheart, sure.”  
She opened the door, her parents were at the kitchen table as they came in they didn’t look up at first.  
“Hey Riley” Her father waved and then as though he could sense something was off her looked up, “Oh Lucas, long time no see.”  
“Good evening Sir.” Suddenly he and Riley were almost an arm’s length apart while still holding hands.  
Topanga looked up, “Oh God, what is this?”  
Riley looked to Lucas and then to her parents, “We were just going to my room.”  
Cory shot up, “Excuse me?”  
“Dad,” Riley dropped Lucas’ hand, “Lucas and I are going to my room, what’s the big deal? He and I shared a room all summer long.”  
“You shared a room!” Topanga was the one who yelled stunning them all.  
“We didn’t plan it Mrs. Matthews.” Lucas had survived Tombstone the bull, he’d lived to tell the tale of Judy the sheep, but if he could survive Topanga Matthews right now, he realized he would truly be a folk hero.  
“One of you better tell me what the hell is going on and tell me now.” Topanga had a fire in her eyes, the kind of fire Cory feared as he hung back.  
Riley took a deep breath, “We roomed with a couple in Paris they got together like the first day and kind of took over one of the bedrooms. Lucas and I slept in the same room all summer, in separate beds.”  
Topanga studied her daughter, “Go on.”  
“Mom, you know I love you, I respect you, and I wouldn’t just bring Lucas over for a hook up.”  
“It’s happening Topanga, this time it’s real.” Cory clutched his chest dramatically.  
“Cory stop it.” Topanga looked to Lucas, “Are you still in love with my daughter?”  
“Yes I am.” He could survive this this was the ultimate test, wasn’t it?  
“Have the two of you had sex?” Topanga studied them, seeing the answer on their faces. “When’s the wedding?”  
“Topanga, don’t joke about that.” Cory looked to his wife and then to the couple, “Oh God, they’re engaged aren’t they?”  
“Friday Mrs. Matthews, Riley and I plan on getting married Friday evening on the roof of this building.” Lucas blurted out.  
“Lucas” Riley shook her head. “We were going to surprise everyone when we had them up there.”  
“You’re really doing this?” Topanga looked at her daughter, softening, before looking to Lucas, “How are you two planning to make this work if you’re in school in Texas.”  
Lucas realized it was okay to breathe, at least for a moment, “I’m starting at NYU in a few weeks when the new semester starts. I realized Texas wasn’t where I wanted to be, especially without Riley.”  
“Are the two of you sure about this? You’re awfully young.” Cory reminded them.  
Riley smiled as she went and grabbed her parent’s wedding picture, “And how old were the two of you?”  
“How long have you been engaged?” Topanga looked to them.  
“About four days.” Riley held out her hand for her mother, “He got me this amazing ring.”  
Topanga studied the cameo ring and looked to Lucas, “So the two of you have been engaged for four days, and you want to get married in three?”  
“I know it seems fast Mrs. Matthews,” Lucas sat at the table across from his future in-laws, “But we love each other, we always have, and we don’t see the point in waiting to start the next part of our lives together. We spent our whole flight home discussing everything we could think of. I found an apartment today, but if you and Mr. Matthews want to check it out first before we sign a lease, we’re okay with that.”  
“Who else knows you’re engaged.”  
“Maddie, Henry, and Farkle” Riley sat next to Lucas, taking his hand in hers.  
“Who are Maddie and Henry?” Cory was confused by the new names.  
“Our suitemates from Paris” Riley pulled her phone out and showed her parents the picture of Lucas proposing, “Maddie took this.”  
“She knew Lucas was going to ask?”  
“Actually, I was planning to ask him, but he got to it first.” Riley squeezed his hand, “We’ve already got jobs lined up, we know it won’t be easy balancing school, work, and us, but we really believe we’re up for the challenge.”  
“Why does Farkle know, but Maya and Zay don’t?”  
“They didn’t pick up the clues as well as Farkle did when we were telling them about our time in Paris.” Riley explained. “I’ve already emailed, Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Josh, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Eric, Pappy Joe, Gloria and Kevin about coming to a party Friday night on the roof.”  
“You’re really going to just surprise everyone with a wedding?” Topanga was a little hurt that her daughter was leaving her out of the planning.  
“We want it to be simple we don’t want it to be anything that goes overboard.” Riley explained, “We know this is a major surprise to you both.”  
Topanga looked to Cory, “Not that surprising really.”  
“It’s not?” Lucas looked to them.  
Cory laughed, “Please, we’ve known this would happen since you met. I knew the story.”  
“Is that why you always chased me out of her room?”  
“Yeah, it’s why you got chased out and Farkle and Zay didn’t.” Cory looked to the couple, “Go get some sleep, tomorrow we’ll go check out that apartment and see if I approve. Otherwise we’ll find you something better.”  
“Thanks Dad.” Riley popped up, taking Lucas’ hand.  
“And I do mean sleep, as long as you’re in our apartment, and not married, you can sleep in the same bed.” Cory sighed.  
“Thank you Mr. Matthews” Lucas felt the stress wash away from his body.  
Cory looked to Topanga who nodded, “Call me Dad.”  
“Okay Dad.”  
“And you can call me Mom.” Topanga gave them both a hug, “Riley, can I at least take you to buy a dress tomorrow?”  
“Yeah, you can. I was going to try and sneak that in, wasn’t sure how.”  
“You don’t have to now, go get some sleep.” She watched the young couple leave before turning to Cory, “This is real, isn’t it?”  
“It is.” He sighed, “You know that apartment probably won’t be any good.”  
“I know.” Topanga nodded, “There is that one bedroom downstairs that will be vacant next week we haven’t listed it yet.”  
“And Riley doesn’t know we own the building,” He leaned over and kissed his wife, “Think it’s the right thing to do?”  
“If it will help them get started, than yes.”  
“Our daughter is getting married.”  
“Yes, she is, to Lucas.”  
“Riley Friar.” Cory sighed.  
“Think Auggie is ready for a brother?”  
Cory chuckled, “I guess we’ll find out.”  
#  
Riley and Lucas had returned to their room while Henry and Maddie had stayed out. They had pushed the beds together and had even set up a few candles around the room.  
“Lucas . . .” Riley closed the door of the bedroom and looked at her fiancé, the man she loved more than anything in this world.  
“Riley, if you’re ready for this. I’m ready for this.” He watched as she turned her back to him.  
“Will you unzip my dress for me?”  
His hands shook as he pulled the zipper down, revealing the black lace matching lingerie she wore under the dress as his hands pushed it off of her.  
Riley turned to him, biting her lip as she reached out to unbutton his shirt, “I love you, I’m ready, for everything Lucas.”  
He took her hands in his, bringing them to his lips, “I love you, I’m glad we’ve waited until now.”  
She smiled as he pulled her close to him, kissing her deeply, passionately as he lifted her up to place her on the bed.  
She watched as he removed his clothes except his boxers before joining her on the bed, “I’m yours.”  
“And I’m yours.” She kissed him as their hands explored the curves and angles of each other’s bodies, shedding what was left of their clothing before finally they began slowly making love, taking their time.  
#  
“Hey Riley,” Auggie walked into his sisters room stopping when he saw Lucas lying in bed with her, “Oh Dad!”  
“What is it Bubba?” Cory came to the door and saw Lucas and Riley still asleep, “Oh that, yeah that’s okay.”  
Auggie looked to his father, “It is? But it’s Lucas, he’s not only in Riley’s room, but her bed.”  
Lucas sat up, rubbing his eyes as he looked at his future father-in-law and brother-in-law, “Morning.”  
“We have to tell him.” Cory looked between the two boys.  
“Tell me what?”  
Lucas crawled out of the bed, having slept in his pants and went to the bay window, “Auggie, come here.”  
Auggie went and sat with the older boy, “What’s going on?”  
Lucas nervously rubbed his hands together, “Riley and I have decided to get married, on Friday. I promised you a long time ago I would never do anything to hurt her.”  
“And you haven’t, not on purpose,” Auggie looked to his father and then back to Lucas, “So if you and Riley get married, what does that make you?”  
“I would be your brother, are you okay with that?” Lucas really wasn’t sure how Auggie would react.  
“Finally” Auggie blurted out with joy, “you have my blessing.”  
“One thing, it’s kind of a secret the only ones who know we’re getting married on Friday are, your parents, you, and me and Riley. Think you can help us keep it a secret until then.”  
“Of course, but you’ll have to figure out how to explain you being here, like that when Maya shows up in thirty seconds.” Auggie pushed the window that was usually left open closed and locked it, “That should buy you a minute or two to figure something out.”  
Lucas rushed from the window and grabbed his shirt and shoes, kissing Riley on the head just as he saw Maya at the window, knocking in confusion.  
Cory and Auggie had rushed out, closing the door behind them.  
Lucas opened the window after he pulled his shirt on, “Hey Maya, she’s asleep right now.”  
“And you’re getting dressed oh please let me bust you.”  
“Mr. Matthews knows I was here, and if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go out the door.”  
Maya crawled in the window after Lucas left and went over to the bed, “Riley, Riley, wake up!”  
“Lucas, shh, I don’t want to get up for class just yet.”  
“It’s Maya, you don’t have class it’s summer!”  
Riley opened her eyes, “Where’s Lucas?”  
“He just left he said your Dad knew he was in here.”  
“Yeah,” Riley sat up, “We were just sleeping. Did we have plans?”  
“No, but I figured you should be up to hang out today.”  
“I can’t I have plans with my Mom.” Riley explained, “Don’t forget Friday night, I’m having that party on the roof. Well Lucas and I are.”  
Maya watched her friend run her hand through her hair and that’s when she saw it, “Riley Matthews, what is this?”  
“What’s what?” Riley felt Maya pull her left hand, “Oh that.”  
“Are you and Huckleberry engaged?”  
Riley blushed, “That’s what the party is for, it’s an engagement party. We were going to announce it then.”  
“That’s why Matthews let Lucas sleep over huh?”  
“Yeah it is.” Riley sighed, “So he just left huh?”  
“Yeah he did.” Maya watched her friend, “You sure you’re ready to be engaged he’s going back to Texas.”  
“Maya, I know what I’m doing I know what Lucas is doing. This is what we want.”  
Maya nodded, “Okay well have fun with your mom. I will see you Friday I have to work at the Gallery the next couple of days.”  
“Okay, I will.” Riley got up and hugged her friend, “I hope you and Zay are happy doing whatever it is your doing.”  
“We are with whatever it is we’re doing.” Maya confirmed before slipping out the window.  
#  
Friday arrived quickly most of the day Riley spent on the roof, setting up with Auggie and Topanga’s help before she was sent down to shower and get dressed. She was still in her bathrobe when Maya came in through the window, “Okay, people are acting strange.”  
“Really, how so” Riley was pulling her hair into a French twist as she spoke.  
“Like Farkle, he’s being weird does he know something I don’t know?”  
“I don’t think so.” She looked to Maya, “I need to tell you something and I need you to not freak out, okay?”  
“You’re moving to Texas to be with Lucas, aren’t you?”  
Riley shook her head, “No, I am moving though, in with Lucas.”  
“You’re parents are okay with that?”  
“Don’t freak out.”  
“Riley, I’m calm.”  
Riley looked at the time, “In about an hour and a half, Lucas and I are going to be married.”  
Maya’s jaw dropped as she looked at her best friend, “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”  
“No one but my parents and Auggie knew. Lucas is telling the guys right now.”  
“I’m not dressed for your wedding!”  
“Go to my closet, you’ll find a garment bag with your name on it.” Riley smiled as she watched her friend.  
“Riley, why didn’t you tell me” Maya couldn’t help but be hurt she’d been left out of the secret.  
“It’s a surprise, I wasn’t going to tell my parents but telling them was the only way they’d let Lucas sleep over.” Riley confessed, “I didn’t want to spend another night away from him, I kind of got used to hearing him talk in his sleep.”  
“You guys are sickening.” Maya pulled out the dress, “Wow, this is adorable.”  
“I know, you think I’m going to stick you with an ugly dress, no way.”  
Maya looked at the yellow dress, “Wait, is that what you and your Mom were doing, dress shopping?”  
Riley nodded, “Yeah, they’ve been really great about this whole thing. My Dad even helped Lucas find us an apartment. They won’t tell me anything about it though it’s supposed to be a surprise.”  
Maya listened as she changed, “Wait, if you’re getting an apartment and not moving to Texas, where is Lucas going to school?”  
“NYU, didn’t Zay tell you? He’s transferring here he decided that long before Paris.” Riley put her hand over her heart when she saw her friend in the dress. “I knew you would look amazing.”  
“Thank you, but now I want to see you in your dress, is it time to put yours on?”  
“Yeah, it is. I’ll be back in just a minute.” Riley went and got the dress out of the bag, it was tea length dress, with cap sleeves, white, with a lace overlay. She took a nervous breath before putting it on, “Maya could you help with the zipper”  
“Of course, wow, you look amazing.” Maya was in awe of her friend when she got her zipped into the dress, “Lucas isn’t going to know what hit him.”  
“That good huh?”  
“Yeah, that good” Maya smiled, “So you invited like all your family huh?”  
“Yeah, and Lucas’ family.”  
“None of them know.”  
“Unless my parents told them, then no, they don’t know.”  
“Are you ready for this?”  
“More than you know Maya, more than you know.”  
#  
Josh Matthews looked around the roof, which was set up with a few small tables, white lights, pictures of Riley and Lucas over the years, including several from their recent trip to Paris. His oldest brother Eric joined him, “I think our niche is getting married.”  
Josh nodded at his odd, but loving brother, “I think so to.”  
“No, I mean tonight.”  
“No way” Josh looked around, “wait, why do you think that?”  
“Look around, our family, Lucas’ family, their friends.” Eric pointed to a man in suit talking with Cory and Topanga, “Some weird minister man.”  
Josh shook his head, “That’s Farkle, one of Riley’s best friends I think you call him Tin-Man. Do you really think Riley would just surprise the family with a wedding?”  
Eric nodded, “Our niche would that’s what makes her special. Also why did she insist we had to come?”  
“I hate when you’re right.” Josh took a sip of his drink the more he looked around, the more it did look like a wedding, especially when he realized he hadn’t seen Riley or Maya yet but did see Lucas and the other boys.  
“Could I get everyone’s attention please?” Cory called out to their friends and family, “As you know Riley and Lucas invited you all here, they were very insistent that you all come to this little party, right?”  
The crowd agreed.  
“The day Lucas showed up in my history class I saw the way he and Riley looked at each other, I knew right away that a day like today was in their future. I thought I might have a few years still before it happened, especially after they spent the last year apart.” Cory took a moment, “While in Paris, Lucas asked Riley to be his wife, to join him in a life together. As you all know they haven’t even been back a week, but they’ve always done things their way, not anyone else’s, and tonight, here on this rooftop, they’ve decided that they would like for all of us to witness that commitment.”  
The crowd of family and friends spoke to each other shocked as they found seats before Lucas took his place, with Zay beside him, and Farkle having agreed to officiate the ceremony, having gotten certified the other night online after everyone had left his apartment.  
Music filled the air and Maya walked down the aisle created between the tables, carrying a bouquet of yellow and pink flowers, and a moment later, Cory walked with Riley.  
“Riley and Lucas are two of my best friends.” Farkle began, “it is an honor to be here today to help join them in marriage. Who gives this bride away?”  
“Her mother and I do.” Cory looked to Lucas, “I always knew this day would come, be good to my little girl.”  
Lucas nodded as he took Riley’s hands, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.  
“Riley and Lucas are on the surface very traditional, but they do things their way, not how others expect them to. They’re like a summer rain, unexpected, calm, stormy, warm, and without each other they’re missing a piece of themselves. We’ve all be very lucky to watch them grow together, love together, fight to be together one way or another.” Farkle looked to his friends, “And of course they’ve written their own vows, Lucas you’re up first.”  
Lucas nodded as he took out a set of note cards which Cory ran up and grabbed from him and motioned for him to speak from his heart, “Riley, when you fell into my lap on that subway, I didn’t know if I would ever see you again, I had no way of knowing that you would become one of my best friends, my rock, my moral compass, but you did. You helped to guide me right, instead of left. I can’t wait to navigate life with you, I know that we’ve already been through so much, and I know we are better as a team then apart. We’ll tackle everything together.”  
Farkle nodded approvingly, “Riley, you’re up.”  
She took a deep breath, “People change people, it’s the secret of life. We’ve always talked about how I changed you, but you changed me as well. It’s been in small ways, ways I don’t think I could pinpoint exactly how, I just know that I’m a better Riley because of you. When Maya threw me into your lap, I never expected this day to come, after everything we went through in middle school and high school, I wasn’t sure I expected it then either, but in my heart, I knew when I fell into your arms on the airplane when we were leaving for Paris, I knew that our lives were meant to be together.”  
Lucas brought her hands to his lips and kissed them.  
“Lucas, do you take Riley to be your wife?”  
“I do.”  
“Riley, do you take Lucas to be your husband?”  
“I do.”  
Farkle smiled, “Do we have the rings?”  
“Right here buddy.” Zay removed them from his pocket and placed them in Farkle’s hand.  
“Lucas place this ring on Riley’s finger and repeat after me; with this ring I marry you and bind my life with yours.”  
Lucas smiled, “With this ring I marry you and bind my life with yours.”  
“Riley place this ring on Lucas’ finger and repeat after me; with this ring I marry you and bind my life with yours.”  
Riley took the ring slipping it on Lucas’ finger, “With this ring I marry you and bind my life with yours.”  
“Lucas and Riley, you’ve expressed your love for one another through your commitment and promises you’ve made today. It is with these in mind that I pronounce you husband and wife. You have kissed a thousand times, maybe more. But today the feeling is new. No longer simply partners and best friends, you have become husband and wife and can now seal the agreement with a kiss. Today your kiss is a promise. You may kiss the bride.”  
Lucas smiled at Riley cupping her face with his hands before kissing her softly, slowly in front of their families.  
“Everyone, for the first time Lucas and Riley Friar” Farkle announced as the crowd clapped for them as they went up the aisle.  
#  
Riley looked around at her friends and family as she took called everyone’s attention with a small bell, “Thank you all so much for coming today, we know this was a surprise to most of you. It means the world to us that you could be here today, you all mean so much to both Lucas and I, thank you.”  
Josh came up to his niece, “You know I thought I was supposed to be the surprise in this family, but it’s you Riley. You always surprise me I’m thrilled that you and Lucas are finally together.” He looked to Lucas, “Treat her well, or you’ll have to deal with me.”  
“You don’t have to worry about her, she’s a princess to me, and I try every day to treat her like one.” Lucas kissed his wife’s cheek.  
“The bride and groom, having kept this a secret from almost everyone here, made a selection for their first dance.” Maya announced, “Now for the first time as husband and wife, they’ll be dancing to their song, Nothing without Love.”  
The song began to fill the air as Lucas led Riley to the dance floor, holding her close, “So, um, you know that apartment I found the other day?”  
“Yeah, what about it?”  
“You’re Dad told me no way in hell we were living there, but he knew of a better place, better rent for us.”  
“How” Riley looked over towards their parents all beaming with joy.  
“It’s close, really close actually.” He bit his lip, “It’s in this building.”  
“What, we could never afford an apartment in this building.”  
“We can when your parents own the building and are giving us a reduced rate.”  
“But they don’t own the building.” She looked over and saw the look on her parent’s face “Is this for real?”  
“Yeah, they’re letting us live in a one bedroom apartment on the first floor, reduced rate.”  
Riley pulled away from Lucas and went over to her parents, hugging them both, “Thank you.”  
“Anything we can do to help.” Topanga told her, “We know how difficult it is to start your lives together. Besides, this way your father won’t be up half the night worrying about the two of you in some bad neighborhood.”  
“Thank you, really, you are the best parents a girl could ask for, I might not have always seen it, but I knew it, in my heart.”  
“And you’re the best mentor a guy could’ve asked for.” Lucas popped up behind Riley and looked at Cory, “If we didn’t have the two of you for inspiration to be the best people we could be, we wouldn’t be us. Thank you.”  
“You are both welcome, now go dance, enjoy your surprise wedding.”  
Riley grabbed her father’s hand while Lucas took Topanga’s pulling them out on the dance floor for the next song, before trading partners halfway through the song.  
Across the roof Zay was looking at Maya and Farkle, “Okay, pay up.”  
Maya took a twenty from her purse and slapped it into his hand, while Farkle took a hundred from his wallet.   
“How was he right, and we weren’t?” Maya asked her oldest friend.  
Farkle shrugged, “He knew about Lucas transferring to NYU, that’s how.”  
“I tried to tell you both.” Zay smiled as he pulled out his wallet and placed the cash inside, “But you didn’t listen to me. So when we made the bet I figured might as well make it worth wild. Besides look at those two, of course they were going to get married before the summer was over.”  
Farkle shook his head, “So when are you two getting married?”  
“We’re not even like an official thing.” Maya replied.  
Zay looked to her, “Why aren’t we official?”  
“You never asked.” Maya told him as she looked at her nails.  
“Maya, Honey Nugget, will you be my girlfriend?”  
Maya smiled, “I thought you would never ask, yes.”  
Zay planted a quick kiss on her lips before looking to Farkle, “We just have to find you a woman now.”  
“I’m in no hurry, the right one will come along at the right time.” He looked at the dancing couples, “Besides, I want something like what they have, real, deep not just perfect on the surface, someone that really makes me a better man, someone I can make a better woman.”  
“Aww Farkle, you’re not a little robot at all anymore are you?” Maya teased.  
“Hush, go dance with your boyfriend” He pushed his friend out to the dance floor.  
Riley rested her head on Lucas’ shoulder, “Well Mr. Friar, we did it. We’re married, what comes next?”  
“We finish school, then maybe we start thinking about the next generation to meet the world, what do you think?”  
“I like that idea; I like that idea a lot.” She kissed him softly, knowing they had a whole future together, and they could make it past it all together.

The End


End file.
